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How will voice searches change the way local businesses are found online?

We have all seen the adverts showing the likes of the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

This voice-controlled technology is very much in its infancy. But you can search Google just using your voice now, and this creates an interesting new way of how your business can be found online.

The true answers as to what works best for getting found will come about in the fullness of time. But it is interesting to conjecture over what you may need to do to prepare for this brave new world.

It may be easy to dismiss this technology, but rewind a few years and you probably wouldn’t have believed how prevalent mobile searches would become compared to desktop.

Whether or not the ‘best’ results will be shown through paid or organic slots remains to be seen.

However, there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for this potential voice-first world.

Get the basics right

Firstly, Google and Bing will always rank a website better depending on the reviews and testimonials received. If your business is receiving glowing reviews, make the most of these on your website and social media. Infoserve can help you design your website to make these prevalent.

Secondly, make sure the basics are correct. Ensure your address and phone number is correct, and that there aren’t spelling mistakes on your website. This is all fairly straightforward stuff that businesses should do as best practice anyway. But as well as looking unprofessional, if you don’t get basic details correct, this may affect the way you are ranked in a voice-first future.

People are also more likely to say what they want rather than write what they want because it’s easier. This means that you may need more information in your metadata so that the exact requirements the user is searching for is met.

The number of people coming to your website and how many of those convert to customers could also be a ranking factor. This is when the PPC team at Infoserve could help bring more people, and most importantly more custom, to your business.

While none of us have a crystal ball to predict the future, there are some basics that you can do to get ready for the changes ahead.